A former window fitter is making a name for himself with these amazing pumpkin sculptures.

Darren Bannaghan, 45, has been carving pumpkins for family and friends for four years.

He worked as a window fitter in Macclesfield until 18 months ago when he stopped to look after his mother who was diagnosed with cancer.

But after she was given the all-clear he turned his energies to sculpting.

He has produced pumpkins dogs, VW camper vans, bats, witches and even a Gruffalo.

But his masterpiece design is a dragon which looks like it is breathing fire.

And he does not just work with pumpkins - his other works of art include chocolate bikes, chocolate houses and many sculptures of his dog Thornton, named after the chocolate. He shows these all on his Picasa page but has never sold any of them.

His talent is completely natural - he had no teaching at all until his wife Rachel surprised him one Christmas.

“I’d never been taught until my wife signed me up to a course a few years ago. She never knows what to get me for Christmas so she set me up with a ceramics class at college.

"I think ceramics is just one of those things you can do or you can’t. I came in on the first day and was making massive sculptures, while everybody else was making bowls.

“The pumpkins take on average two or three hours to make. You hear people who use paper cut-outs or stencils but I just pick up a pumpkin and start carving it with a knife. The chocolate bike took over four days of solid work.

“The pumpkins only last a few days because they rot so I started putting them online so people can see them. My Picasa page has had over 50,000 hits which is amazing as I never promote it or advertise my work. I find it quite interesting.

“I’m not doing this to make money, it’s just nice to know people are looking at them. I’ve not done anything professionally.

"Some sculptures take so long to make that if I charged people for them only Wayne Rooney would be able to fork out. My sister works at Macclesfield Hospital and I made one for her to take to work. I can make anything - I’ll do anything for a good cause.”